Corporation of the Year Announced at CBOF47

This year’s MBEIC Sharing Success Award honoree for Corporation of the Year is Alex Molinaroli, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Controls.

The Sharing Success Award was conceived by the Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee of the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. almost four decades ago to pay tribute to a chief executive officer of a major buying organization who consistently demonstrates extraordinary leadership in employment and supplier diversity. This year’s honoree is Alex Molinaroli, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Controls.

Johnson Controls is committed to being a leader in supplier diversity. By incorporating certified women- and minority-owned suppliers, as well as small or disadvantaged businesses, into its customer solutions, Johnson Controls economically equips entire communities and gains a competitive advantage. The company integrates diversity business development into its strategic business plan, implements internal processes for recruiting, training and using diverse suppliers and convenes trade shows and events to encourage purchasing from diverse suppliers.

Johnson Controls is one of only 18 U.S. firms in the Billion Dollar Roundtable, a group of companies that spend $1 billion or more each year with certified minority-and women-owned firms. The 2014 Success Award recipient led the way to his company spending more than $1.9 billion with diverse suppliers in 2013. Its business diversity efforts have been recognized with “Corporation of the Year” awards by the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (NMSDC) and numerous regional councils within the NMSDC network.

Molinaroli joined Johnson Controls in 1983 and prior to his current position, he served as president of the Power Solutions business. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science in computer and electrical engineering from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University.